Return of the True Sith
by ArmedSammy123
Summary: During the Galactic War the Sith Empire sends out the largest fleet ever assembled to Coruscant to end the Republic once and for all, however the fleet disappears along with any hope of a Sith victory, the fate of the fleet is a mystery until one day it returns to a Galaxy waging a Civil War and having all but forgotten of the True Sith...such short memory will be soon regretted.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Alright so this goes without saying but I own nothing. I am not George Lucas who bought himself diplomatic immunity from criticism by donating four billion dollars to charity, nor am I the owner of Disney, nor am I connected to anyone else who's connected to Star Wars...wish I was but alas life didn't work out that way. Now onto the serious stuff, so first off a lot of you will probably be scratching your heads towards the end of this (very bloody long) chapter, don't worry there's explanations for stuff at the end in another Author's Note. Secondly ****a few canon things have been changed around****, so the Battle of Coruscant will take place in 18 BBY rather than 19 BBY to account for the new players in the most dangerous game screwing up everyone's plans temporarily, next I fixed canon Star Wars by making it so Barriss didn't go off script and bomb the Jedi, after that Mandalore is fixed as well and made canon in that it isn't a nuclear wasteland anymore with cities in bubbles, and finally Darth Maul died on Naboo so his actions in the TV series did not happen...you'll see why I did this later on. With that said, feel free to pm me any questions you have about the story and I'll do my best to answer them, enjoy!**

**/**

**3640 BBY: **During the Galactic War the largest fleet ever assembled by the Sith Empire is sent to attack the Republic capital of Coruscant and either take the planet or preform a Base Delta Zero operation if conquest was impossible in hopes to destroy Republic morale and send the Republic into disarray. It consisted of 50 Harrower-class dreadnoughts, each with a crew of 2,400, Imperial troopers numbering 7,300, 95 starfighters, 32 bombers, and 35 shuttles, in addition twenty of these dreadnoughts were equipped with the super weapon codenamed "Silencer". In addition there were twenty Delta-class carriers, one hundred Terminus-class destroyers, and one hundred thirty Keizar-Volvec bulk cruisers, and hundreds more smaller vessels in order to assure victory. The fleet is led by Darth Nox via his flagship, the Doombringer, with his new apprentice Lord Vassinni in charge of leading the ground forces. The fleet is the Empire's last hope to win the war, however while in transit to Coruscant the entire fleet disappears, along with any hope of victory for the Sith.

**20 BBY: **Ahsoka Tano races to prove her innocence after the bombing of the Jedi Temple. She is captured, kicked out of the Jedi Order, and almost convicted of treason before the true culprit is found, a human Jedi by the name of Gorum Killen who was later found to be suffering severely from PTSD and also showing signs of insanity. Despite being offered the chance to return to the Jedi, Ahsoka declines and leaves for a new life on her own.

**19 BBY: **By this point Ahsoka Tano has acquired a familiar G9 Rigger freighter, a reputation as someone who could do anything from hauling freight to doing bounties, and skill in dealing with the seedy underworld which now paid for her services.

**19 BBY: **A strange anomaly is detected near the planet of Hok by a Republic merchant ship, it is the size of a fleet not seen in millennia. Although it is reported to Republic authorities it is written off as a glitch in the ship's sensors without further investigation.

**19 BBY: **Ahsoka Tano is hired by Jabba the Hut to retrieve a Sith artifact from the tomb of Lord Kallig on Dromund Kaas. It is rumored that his mask, Kallig's Countenance, was returned to him by his ancestor Darth Nox before he headed his lost expedition.

**/**

**Dromund Kaas, 19 BBY...**

Ahsoka huffed as she finally found the entrance to the Tomb of Kallig among the ruins of the Dark Temple. Thankfully there was no large debris that needed to be cleared and the large stone doors that protected the tomb from the outside world were open.

"Finally, something isn't getting in my way for once." Ahsoka said to herself as she moved past the doors and into the tomb.

So far this mission had been a complete disaster for Ahsoka, the _Twilight_ had been attacked by pirates, Ahsoka had almost been captured by said pirates when they boarded her ship, she had to then get repairs for the damages caused by the firefight on Tatooine, she had to kill a group of thugs that tried to mug her on Tatooine while she waited for repairs, she almost got killed by a pack of Tuk'ata that had gotten the jump on her while she sifted through the ruins of the Dark Temple, and finally her black all-body flight suit had provided no protection against the beasts' claws as it now sported a set of claw-sized rips on the part covering Ahsoka's back...at least the claws had only damaged the clothing rather than Ahsoka's flesh. Now though things seemed to look up for her as there appeared to be no creatures guarding this tomb anymore and the dark stone passageways were clear of traps. However as Ahsoka neared the tomb itself she noticed it got darker and darker and so she focused on the Light within her to use Force Sight, it was tough going considering how Dark this planet was. The Darkness seemed to be wrapped around in everything on the planet, it even seemed like it was wrapping around Ahsoka herself, slowly but surely tightening it's cold icy grip on the young Togruta woman.

Ahsoka shook her head at the thought and said to herself "It's alright Ahsoka, just go in, find the mask, and then you can leave this fracking world behind in it's Darkness, then give it to Jabba and get paid so you can go back to doing relaxing freight runs rather than skulking around old Sith temples and tombs where everything wants to kill you."

"Not everything wants to kill you...although to be fair a good percentage of the things here do so I could see how you could make that mistake." A male voice said from behind Ahsoka.

Ahsoka jumped and activated the green-bladed lightsaber in her hand as she turned to find a Force Spirit in the form of a masked Sith. When the Spirit didn't react to the brief display of fear though Ahsoka deactivated her lightsaber but kept it in her hand...if only for a sense of security.

"Hmm...a green bladed lightsaber, obviously a user of the Lightside...yet, you don't seem to be a Jedi. Jedi don't go collecting things to get paid...or do freight runs while I think of it. Who are you?" The Spirit asked of Ahsoka.

Ahsoka hesitated before saying "I'm Ahsoka Tano, I used to be a Jedi but...well things didn't work out with them. Who are you?"

"Former Jedi, Torgruta female, and by the tone of your voice you obviously hold disdain for the people who you once considered friends...you aren't related to an Ashara Zavros are you? My descendent kept her around him all the time and you remind me of her...oh no matter. I am Aloysius Kallig, Tulak Hord's top general and a friend of his...until he had me assassinated of course. This is my tomb, why are you here, ex-Jedi?" Kallig replied.

"I don't know who I'm related to, my family gave me to the Jedi before I could really remember them let alone learn about them, it's how the Jedi recruit these days." Ahsoka replied before adding "And I'm here to find Darth Nox's mask...rumor has it that he left it in your tomb before he left on an expedition that disappeared. I don't take it you're going to help me find it?"

"Let me make this clear to you, ex-Jedi, Kallig's Countenance is my mask. It belongs to me, I gave it to my descendant so he could bring glory to the Kallig bloodline once more, he did just that. He never returned it to me though...that mask was to be passed down from generation to generation as the bloodline grew more and more prestigious. So, I'm sorry you came here for nothing." Kallig answered in return.

"I'll take a look around just to be sure...Jabba isn't the type of Hutt you want to tell bad news to." Ahsoka replied as she continued to the tomb's central chamber.

Kallig 'walked' next to her and said "You'll find nothing but dust and disappointment. You might as well call your employer now and tell him the mask was lost in that damn expedition."

"You don't understand, if I don't get him this mask then I'll be hunted down and either killed or be made his personal pleasure slave...neither of those options are appealing. So frack off and let me have a little hope that you're lying while I think of a way out of this." Ahsoka responded with a bit of fear in her voice.

"Fear...Jedi are supposed to be fearless, as if that's even possible, I guess you weren't that good of a Jedi." Kallig said.

Ahsoka said nothing as she arrived in the central chamber, it was dark, dusty, and looked like it was about to fall apart at any moment. Not too out of the norm for Sith tombs. She began walking to the stone coffin in the center of the chamber and brushed some of the dust off of it as she looked at the container of Kallig's body.

"I'd ask you not to open that but something tells me you won't listen, and I'm still a bit too weak to really do too much to you right now." Kallig said.

"I'm really fracked, aren't I?" Ahsoka merely asked in return.

"Believe it or not, not all Sith lie all the time, the mask isn't-well...that's interesting." Kallig interrupted himself as he looked back to the entrance of the chamber.

"What's interesting?" Ahsoka asked, not paying too much attention to what Kallig was looking at, but rather just staring at the coffin as her mind worked into overdrive in an attempt to find any way out of this situation.

"I haven't sensed that signature in over three thousand years...he's returned." Kallig said cryptically.

"Who's returned?" Ahsoka asked as she snapped her head over to look at the spirit.

"I have." A man's voice echoed through the chamber, originating from the entrance Ahsoka had used.

Ahsoka now focused her attention on a humanoid looking man wearing the mask she had been sent to find as well as Sith battle armor and a black cape trailing behind him. The man's signature in the Force was overwhelmingly powerful and especially Dark, the latter partially being the reason it had slipped by Ahsoka's senses with the other part due to her focus on her thoughts. To his right was another humanoid looking man dressed in a hooded black cloak, duraplast armor iconic of the Imperial troopers of the Resurgent Sith Empire, and a mask with three metal bars going across and the glint of what looked like tinted glass beneath them. This man's signature was slightly less powerful than the first yet it was just as Dark.

"Darth Nox...back from the dead...yet living. How is this possible?" Kallig asked of his descendent as the man began walking towards Ahsoka and the spirit.

"I'm not sure. One moment I'm leading the largest fleet ever assembled to Coruscant and the next we find ourselves over the planet of Hok, then when we returned here we find nothing but ruins and swamps, what's happened?" Darth Nox asked as he stopped not more than two feet from Ahsoka with his silent compatriot by his side.

"The Emperor is dead, the Empire destroyed, and the Republic victorious...then I went to sleep for a little over three thousand years until this ex-Jedi woke me up a few minutes ago. So...I'm not as caught up as you'd hope." Kallig replied.

Darth Nox's companion turned his head to Ahsoka at the mention of Jedi, however Darth Nox put any thoughts he had to rest as he turned his head to the man and ordered "He said ex Jedi, give her the benefit of the doubt...even if she does reek of the Light Side."

"Yes Master." The man simply responded, his head still turned towards Ahsoka, as if his hidden eyes were burning holes into her head.

Darth Nox accepted the response before turning to face Ahsoka and asking "How many years have passed since the Treaty of Coruscant."

"Three thousand, six hundred, thirty four years." Ahsoka replied quickly, clutching her lightsaber tightly and waiting for the impending attack that was always coming with Sith...even if they were supposed to be three thousand years dead.

Darth Nox nodded at that and said "Then it's as I feared. We are in a Galaxy that is now foreign to us, and due to the continued existence of the Jedi it must most certainly be hostile as well."

The man aside Darth Nox looked away from Ahsoka for a moment and down to the ground by his feet, as if there was something interesting about the dust and stone he was standing upon before he looked over to Ahsoka once more and asked "Does the Republic still stand?"

Ahsoka hesitated, the two men's Imperial accents were old and unknown to the Galaxy after so long but thankfully still very understandable, the man's first question however didn't make sense to Ahsoka.

Certainly he should've been more concerned with any potential friends still left in the Galaxy rather than foes, still she replied truthfully "Yes."

The man turned to Darth Nox and said "Our mission can still be accomplished. Base Delta Zero might be the best option available though to avoid fighting more advanced forces. After three thousand years of no Sith the Republic will be as weak as they were when we first struck at them in the Great Galactic War. Perhaps we can remind them of the truth 'Peace is a lie' once more on Coruscant, Master?"

Darth Nox seemed to consider what his companion had just said, and so Ahsoka quickly interjected "The Republic is currently at war with the Confederacy of Independent Systems, Coruscant is tightly defended with both a heavily armed fleet in orbit and an army on the ground, you wouldn't last ten minutes."

At that Darth Nox shook his head and said "Then in that case the mission is suspended. Thank you for the warning Miss..."

"Tano, Ahsoka Tano." Ahsoka replied, still wary of the two Sith, strangely Kallig was watching the conversation without input of his own.

"Miss Tano, it appears I am in need of current-day knowledge, knowledge you have. And although I'm uneasy turning to a Lightsider I'll be willing to pay you handsomely for your patience and ability to answer my many questions. I have the gold coin credits that I'm sure have been discontinued by this point, I'm sure they're worth quite a bit now." Darth Nox offered.

Ahsoka was silent a few moments as she thought things over before saying "I'm not saying anything that'll endanger the Republic or Jedi, I still have friends over there and I don't want harm to befall them, also I want your mask...not your credits."

"My mask?" Darth Nox asked incredulously "Why would you want this?"

"I promised a Hutt I'd get it to him. I always keep my promises." Ahsoka replied nonchalantly, although right under the surface she was certain she was treading on thin ice.

"Master, may I suggest we just take her to the _Doombringer_'s interrogation cell and let me beat it out of her." Darth Nox's companion offered to his Master.

"No, Lord Vassinni, that would be counter-productive...she'd just die during interrogation, she's more willful than she looks...I can sense it in the Force." Darth Nox replied before turning to Ahsoka and saying "How about I hire you as a full-time guide for me instead? You'd be safe from this Hutt on my fleet, you wouldn't have to worry about food or shelter, and I'll pay you a negotiated rate in credits. The job is the same as before except now I'll have you on hand full-time. I'll also accept your stipulation about no information that could harm the Republic, although I can't promise that my sights will not be set on them at times."

"First Zavros and now her? You're amassing quite the Lightsider following...be wary my descendent, otherwise the Sith that are undoubtedly hiding in the shadows of this Galaxy might mistake you as foe rather than friend." Kallig warned.

"Should they refuse to bow then they will die by my blade in Darth Nox's name." Lord Vassinni interjected.

However Ahsoka ignored the two as she thought over the new offer, it was tempting, protection and payment in return for information...but these were Sith, untrustworthy beings who enjoyed betraying themselves just as much as killing anyone who stood in their way, what would keep this Darth Nox from betraying a former Jedi once she was onboard his ship and without a hope of escape? However what choice did she have in the matter, it was clear this Darth wanted her cooperation, and Ahsoka was certain he wouldn't take no for an answer.

However just to test the waters she asked "And if I still refuse?"

"Then I'll have Lord Vassinni use you as his personal punching bag. It's been a while since he's interrogated a Force sensitive and I don't want him growing sloppy from a lack of practice." Darth Nox firmly stated.

Ahsoka looked over to Lord Vassinni and could practically sense his excitement at the suggestion, with a sigh and a bit of guilt she finally gave in and said "You have a deal, Darth Nox, and my rate is ten thousand credits a week."

"Excellent...welcome to the team." Darth Nox said as he offered his hand to Ahsoka.

Keeping her eyes looking where his were behind his mask Ahsoka shook the offered hand. However when she looked over to Lord Vassinni she merely got a headshake from the Sith Lord, it was clear he didn't approve, but he seemed unwilling to voice such an opinion in front of his Master.

"Now...tell me about the Galaxy as it is today. We can go over lost history later but for now lets hear about this Confederacy and its war against the Republic." Darth Nox said, shaking Ahsoka from her thoughts.

Ahsoka cleared her throat and began "Well...it seems the new Sith aren't interested in Empires anymore."

**/**

**Hours Later, Briefing Room of the **_**Doombringer**_**, Orbiting Dromund Kaas...**

"So, the Sith still live despite defeat by the Jedi's hands." Ashara Zavros commented before adding "Perhaps we should make contact with them? They'd certainly want battle-hardened allies who share their ideology. Perhaps we could use that as an 'in' to their operations?"

"This 'Darth Sidious' is not a Sith! Nor is his Dark Jedi pet, 'Darth Tyranus' a proper Sith either! This whole 'Rule of Two' concept spits upon what it means to be Sith!" Lord Vassinni exclaimed.

"Then perhaps our arrival can help steer them onto the proper path. They must be powerful if they believe themselves to be the only two worthy of being Sith in the Galaxy, if we could recruit them under Darth Nox then perhaps they would be the keys to restarting a Sith Empire and crushing the Republic." Lord Xalek countered.

"Oh boy, here we go again." Andronikos Revel commented as he leaned back in his seat and put his boots onto the Briefing Room's large metal table as we awaited the spectacle that was about to begin.

For their parts Ashara Zavros and Talos Drellik turned to talk to each other and the giant Dashade named Khem Val looked over at Darth Nox at the head of the table and merely shrugged while Lord Vassinni and Lord Xalek began arguing in opposition to each other. Darth Nox merely watched the confrontation and waited to intervene if it turned violent, he crossed his arms and looked over to the seat where his newest charge, Ahsoka Tano, sat. She looked between him and the arguing Sith and gave the Dark Lord a questioning look to which Darth Nox responded by motioning for her to take a seat in an empty chair on his side of the table.

Ahsoka did so and took a seat to the Sith's right around the corner of the table and asked "Do they always do this?"

Darth Nox merely nodded and replied "Lord Xalek is a man of action, I've only seen him argue with words when it was against Lord Vassinni...I can't tell if it's because he respects the man or if he absolutely hates him, but yes this does happen quite often. The two are very different men, Lord Vassinni is a thinker, he plans everything out meticulously so that when he finally does act the cards are stacked in his favor indefinitely and victory is certain, although even then I've never seem him make reckless moves when victory was assured, he's careful, genius, a charismatic leader, and a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to traditions."

"And Lord Xalek?" Ahsoka asked innocently.

"Violent, prone to action before thought, emotional rather than rational, more liberal than I when it comes to tradition, and a man of few words except when Lord Vassinni is involved." Darth Nox answered.

"Which one do you usually side with?" Ahsoka asked as she watched Lord Xalek pound his fist on the metal table for emphasis for one of his points.

"Xalek was my first apprentice, he considers me a 'father' in many respects and although he alluded that he'd rise above me one day I doubt he'll ever do so by striking me down, and although he prefers action to careful planning he's still a very intelligent being. Vassinni is my second apprentice, he's a military genius and well liked by the troops, he prefers to live and work among them then with other Sith and he shows his solidarity with the troopers by wearing their armor beneath his cloak...and although he was shown as intensely loyal to the Emperor in propaganda, he actually hates the man, his loyalty belongs only to me and one other...which makes him a very valuable man to have. In the end I try to balance between the two as they both have good points almost always." Darth Nox replied.

"Who's the other man who holds Vassinni's loyalty?" Ahsoka asked.

"Darth Malgus..." Darth Nox said before pausing and adding "Vassinni's mask was given to him by Darth Malgus, apparently it was Vindican's old mask, Vassinni modified it so it would connect to a cortosis weave hood that attached to his armor and so that it would have some reinforced glass beneath the bars for added protection for his face. I won't go any further than saying that, Vassinni's past is...well darker than most people's pasts, even my past as a slave was not as bad as Vassinni's."

Ahsoka nodded and watched as Lord Vassinni pointed an accusing finger at Lord Xalek and called him a fool, albeit with a few more expletives added in for good measure.

"How much would it cost for you to bring one of my people to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant?" Darth Nox asked Ahsoka.

Ahsoka looked over to Darth Nox in confusion and asked "Why would you want to do that?"

"I have an idea that would make both parties here satisfied." Darth Nox replied.

"Then the cost is twenty five thousand credits, it'll take a bit of credits to get Lord Vassinni onto the planet quietly." Ahsoka replied.

"Done." Darth Nox replied before he stood up, gathering the attention of all in the room as the two feuding Lords fell silent, Darth Nox then spoke "As it seems we have two choices in this matter, side with the Republic or side with the Confederacy, then we'll need to test the waters with both sides secretly to see which one is the better choice. Therefore, Lord Xalek, you are to take your personal ship and find this General Grevious. Since you two are of the same species and culture this will hopefully bring about cooperation."

"It shall be done, my Lord." Lord Xalek replied with a bow.

"Lord Vassinni...you and Ahsoka are to go to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant and learn more on their position in this war as well as to foster relations with them." Darth Nox said, now turning to face his apprentice.

"The Jedi! You expect me to-...ehm, I'm sorry, Master...I don't know what came over me. Your will is my command." Lord Vassinni replied first in rage and then, as he realized who he was talking to, in submission accompanied with a stiff bow.

"Lord Vassinni...do not purposely fail me. If you do, there will be...severe consequences." Darth Nox replied before motioning for the two Lords and Ahsoka to leave.

Once they left Ashara walked over to her lover's side and said "Perhaps you shouldn't of picked Lord Vassinni to deal with the Jedi, we both know how he feels on them. Certainly I would've made a better choice as a former Jedi myself."

"Lord Vassinni is ruled by emotion whenever the Jedi are involved, he's a thinker, he doesn't do well acting off emotion. This mission will either teach him to change...or it will kill him, he hasn't failed one of my missions yet, so I'm hoping it's the former option. His loyalty to me must come before his fracking revenge." Darth Nox replied before embracing Ashara and saying jokingly "Besides, if I sent you I might lose you to the Jedi, their dogmatic ways are just so enticing to such a free spirit as you."

"Bite me." Ashara replied teasingly with a role of her eyes.

**/**

**A Few Days Later, Coruscant, Outside of the Jedi Temple...**

"It certainly looks better than it did the last time Sith were here." Lord Vassinni stated as Ahsoka led him to the front of the steps to the temple, and despite Ahsoka's pleas, Lord Vassinni stood out like a sore thumb as he hadn't changed his style of attire...although he did agree to hide his Force signature at least so no one could sense his overwhelming Darkness.

"You're going to get us killed." Ahsoka sighed as the two began up the steps of the Jedi Temple.

"If you want I can recite Darth Malgus's words as he walked up these very steps. It might expedite that process if you'd like." Lord Vassinni said sarcastically.

"In that case I'll kill you myself." Ahsoka replied.

"Such arrogance." Was all Lord Vassinni had to say in return.

The two walked past the large doors to the Temple and as they entered a young Human Padawan accidentally walked right into Lord Vassinni.

The young boy hit the floor and looked up to see what he'd walked into, when he saw Lord Vassinni's mask looking back the boy panicked and yelled out "Sith!"

That one word caused every Jedi within hearing to turn to see Lord Vassinni...which then led them to all activate their lightsabers. A sea of blue, green, and yellow blades all erupted in front of Lord Vassinni and Ahsoka as the assembled Jedi took their stances. That was when Ahsoka felt Lord Vassinni's reveal his Force signature, staining him in the Dark Side of the Force for all to sense, it was so strong that Ahsoka would've bet that any Force sensitive on the planet would've felt it. When she turned to see what he was doing she couldn't believe what she was seeing, rather than try and disarm the situation Lord Vassinni had Force Lightning arcing around his left hand while his right held a double-bladed lightsaber with pure black blades as he settled into a Juyo stance.

"Lord Vassinni! No!" Ahsoka called to the Sith.

A Twi'lek Jedi Master approached with his blue bladed lightsaber at the ready and ordered "Sith, put down your weapon and surrender!"

"Put down yours first, Jedi! I did not come here to do battle, but I'll happily kill you if you leave me no choice!" Lord Vassinni replied.

That was when Ahsoka noticed that someone was pushing through the crowd of Jedi, when Obi-wan appeared she gave a sigh of relief, he noticed her right away and called out "Ahsoka, what's going on!?"

"Tell them to stand down, Master Kenobi! Please!" Ahsoka said as she pointed to the Jedi surrounding her and Lord Vassinni.

"Is that...a Sith! Ahsoka, what is the meaning of this?" Obi-wan exclaimed, but thankfully didn't make the situation any worse by activating his lightsaber.

Another Jedi pushed through the crowd, it was Anakin, he looked between Ahsoka, Lord Vassinni, and Obi-wan before looking to Ahsoka for answers "Snips...why did you bring a Sith here?"

"Snips? Isn't that a cute little nickname?" Lord Vassinni mocked as he focused his attention on the two new arrivals.

Unfortunately that gave the Padawan who'd walked into Vassinni earlier the opportunity to strike at the Sith with his own lightsaber now that Vassinni was distracted. But the Padawan hadn't expected that the Sith would be fast...as Lord Vassinni jumped over the Padawan and unleashed a torrent of Force lightning from behind him. The Padawan let out a silent scream as he fell to his knees in pain.

"Lord Vassinni, stop!" Ahsoka ordered.

Lord Vassinni looked up at her, her distraction ending the stream of lightning, leaving the Padawan smoking but still breathing as he curled up into a ball to protect himself from any more attacks.

"As you wish." Lord Vassinni merely stated before adding "Next person who attacks me without provocation though dies."

Two Knights deactivated their lightsabers and ran over to their wounded comrade, attempting to stabilize him. Vassinni for his part finally deactivated his double-bladed lightsaber and hooked it back onto his armor's belt, leaving his hands out to his sides to show he was disarmed. The Jedi however kept their blades on, and awaited orders from Obi-wan who was now the highest ranking Jedi among them.

"Who activated their lightsabers first? The Sith or us?" Obi-wan asked the Twi'lek Jedi Master who'd order Vassinni to disarm earlier.

"We acted first Master Kenobi. We heard that young man yell 'Sith' and we saw him on the ground with the Sith hovering over him. We thought he was attacking the kid." The Jedi Master replied.

"Stand down, all of you!" Obi-wan ordered the assembled Jedi, who followed the order and deactivated their lightsabers, though they all kept them close by.

"You two, get him to the medical wing, I want to talk to him later about attacking without provocation." Obi-wan said to the two Knights over the still smoking Padawan before he turned to face Lord Vassinni and asked "Why are you here, Sith?"

"I am here by order of my master, Darth Nox. I am to speak to the Jedi Council about matters best left unsaid in front of the others." Lord Vassinni replied before adding "And it's Lord Vassinni, not Sith, I do not take disrespect lightly...Master Kenobi, if I caught Ahsoka here correctly."

"Very well, Lord Vassinni, I'll keep that in mind. And yes, it is Master Kenobi." Obi-wan replied before he realized something "Wait...you said Darth Nox?"

"Master Kenobi...this is best left for the Council alone to hear." Ahsoka chimed in.

"Snips...what's going on? Who's this Darth Nox? Why are you working with Sith?" Anakin asked of his former student, no longer choosing to remain silent.

"Ahsoka..." Lord Vassinni warned.

"I know, Lord Vassinni. Master Kenobi, may we please move this on?" Ahsoka replied before turning to Obi-wan for help.

"Yes, let's. Follow me, Ahsoka, Lord Vassinni." Obi-wan said, motioning for the two to follow him as he led them to the Council's chamber, leaving a flustered Anakin behind.

While on the way there Obi-wan used his comlink to call the other Masters to meet him in the Council's chamber. By the time the three of them reached the chamber the other Jedi Masters were either there in person or via hologram, all of them looked at Lord Vassinni with extreme interest, as if he was a Bull Rancor that had been pacified. They then noticed Ahsoka standing next to him as Obi-wan left to take his seat, their interest only seemed to skyrocket at the former Jedi who'd they accidentally accused of treason, Lord Vassinni noted that she seemed extremely uncomfortable among those who had betrayed her in her time of need...he kept that in mind for future use too.

"Strange, this is, for a Sith to wish to talk. Dangerous, still he is." Master Yoda remarked.

"Yes, why have you come to speak to us, Sith. Is it not your Order's goal to destroy us?" Master Ki-Adi-Mundi asked.

"My Order's goals have nothing to do with you Jedi. You are merely annoyances on the path to our true goal of a Galaxy ruled by the strong rather than the weak." Lord Vassinni replied before saying "And it's Lord Vassinni."

"Ahsoka, brought him here, you have. Why, I must ask?" Master Yoda asked.

Ahsoka looked away, a bit of guilt in her eyes showed before she replaced it with impassiveness, although Lord Vassinni swore he saw a hint of anger in them just before the impassiveness as she replied "Darth Nox hired me on to update him on the Galaxy he just came back to, he is also paying me to bring Lord Vassinni here to meet with you. Not all of us can live by sitting around living hypocritical lives and accusing the innocent of treason."

Lord Vassinni couldn't help but smile beneath his mask at that little jab, he made note of it too, perhaps this Togruta was a good investment on Darth Nox's part after all...not that that would surprise Lord Vassinni, his Master didn't become a member of the Dark Council by making mistakes.

"Darth Nox...he disappeared over three thousand years ago during the Galactic War. How is it possible that he could still be alive?" Mace Windu asked from his hologram.

"Because the fleet he commanded came out of our jump over Hok three thousand years later. We were to either capture or destroy Coruscant in order to break Republic moral and send it into disarray. It was our last hope to win the war...said the fools on the Council, my Master showed them that we could win the war of attrition but they dismissed him, and now look at what has become them. They are dead and gone while we are here, still living and more than ready to wage war once more upon the Galaxy." Lord Vassinni replied.

"That fleet is still lurking around?" Obi-wan asked.

"In a safe place...yes." Lord Vassinni replied.

"So, why not complete your mission, is the Republic still not your foe?" Mace Windu asked.

"The Resurgent Sith Empire is dead, striking the Republic now would merely be a waste of life and resources that could be used for better purposes. Such as punishing those False Sith you fight today for spitting on what it means to be a True Sith." Lord Vassinni answered.

"So, you're master is willing to fight alongside the Republic to take out his competition?" Obi-wan asked.

"My Master is not willing to do anything without assurance that he'll be on the winning side and that he'll be gaining something by siding with the Republic. That is where I come in, I wish to work alongside you Jedi so that I can see for my own eyes whether or not we should throw our chips in on you and to negotiate an agreement with the Republic concerning a reward for our services in saving you from these False Sith." Lord Vassinni replied.

"Work with us, you say? Fight alongside us, you will?" Master Yoda asked.

"Yes, I am willing to fight alongside you Jedi, at least until I'm satisfied that I've learned which side to support in my report back to my Master. However before I do I must ask of you a few favors." Lord Vassinni said.

"What's your catch?" Obi-wan asked.

"Firstly, I'd appreciate it if you kept the fleet, my Master, and my own existence a secret, secondly I'd like to request that you provide me with a room to use here as a personal quarters whenever I'm not assisting you Jedi out on the battlefield, and lastly I'd like to request that you direct me to any trustworthy Senators I could speak with to negotiate an agreement between the Republic and Darth Nox...if any exist in that corrupt oligarchy you call a Republic of course." Lord Vassinni answered.

"Do this, we can." Master Yoda replied, ignoring the jab at the Republic.

Lord Vassinni merely nodded his head in return and just as he thought the meeting was over Obi-wan turned his attention to Ahsoka and asked "And you Ahsoka, will you be staying with Lord Vassinni while he works alongside us?"

Ahsoka looked at Obi-wan and attempted to hide her emotions once more as she replied "I don't know Master Kenobi, I'm being paid by Darth Nox to serve as a guide to our Galaxy, if he desires I return to him then I will."

While Ahsoka was good at hiding her physical tells she had left herself open in the Force for just a few seconds. In those few seconds Lord Vassinni had felt a brief surge of happiness at the suggestion before it was overcome by anger and guilt. This was yet again that the seemingly solid Lightsider had shown her distance from this Council and the Jedi since this meeting began...it was a pattern that made Lord Vassinni inwardly grin, he had found a weakness to exploit in this young Togruta, and Lord Vassinni never left a weakness unexploited.

"I believe Ahsoka will be staying with me during my stay, so make that two rooms if you will." Lord Vassinni interjected, for her part Ahsoka merely sent a questioning look to the Sith Lord.

"Very well. It'll be nice to have an old face around for a little while." Obi-wan replied.

With that the meeting ended and Lord Vassinni and Ahsoka were led through the halls of the Jedi Temple to their rooms, which were situated next to each other and only had a bed, a small wooden desk with a matching chair, a small closet for clothing, and a door that led to a refresher in each room. Lord Vassinni wasted no time in locking his room to the outside world and taking out a comlink from his armor's belt before dialing in his Master's communication frequency. The comlink was silent a few moments before it beeped and a blue hologram of Darth Nox appeared above it.

"Lord Vassinni, I hope you were successful in inserting yourself among the Jedi?" Darth Nox asked.

"I have done as you wished Master. The Council will keep our secret and are allowing me to negotiate an agreement with the Republic while I work alongside them. However that is not my only news, Master." Lord Vassinni replied with a bow.

"What else do you have, apprentice?" Darth Nox asked, nothing in his voice made it seem like he wished to wait for the answer.

"I have noted that Ahsoka Tano is friendly with some of the Jedi here, except during our meeting with the Jedi Council I sensed not just guilt but clear anger directed against the Jedi Masters. I believe she is estranged from the Council due to some sort of personal betrayal, she mentioned the Council accusing the innocent of treason and then she accused them of living hypocritical lives. I think I may have found a weakness I could exploit, possibly use it to drive her to the Dark Side and anchor her loyalty to you, I'm sure I'm not the only one who's noticed just how abnormally strong she is in the Force for one so young...she might make a good asset if properly handled and trained." Lord Vassinni answered.

"Yes, I too sensed her potential in that tomb on Dromund Kaas, and subsequent visits to my ancestor planet-side has confirmed that only one strong enough in the Force would've been capable of waking him from his sleep just by entering his tomb." Darth Nox said before pausing and looking at something off to his side out of view of the holograph, he looked back to Lord Vassinni and added "I'm keeping Ahsoka with you out there, do whatever is necessary to bring her over to our side, I'm entrusting this task to you Lord Vassinni...do not fail me."

"I will not fail, Master." Lord Vassinni replied before his Master terminated the connection.

With that done Lord Vassinni set about planning how he would politically outmaneuver the Galactic Senate for the best agreement between the Republic and Darth Nox, how he would observe the strengths and weaknesses of both the Confederacy and Republic and report them back to Darth Nox, and finally he planned on how he would turn Ahsoka into a pawn for the True Sith. He knew it would be the first of many a long night, and sleep would be hard to come by in that time, but that was a fair price to pay for being prepared to best one's opponents.

**/**

**Republic Executive Building, Coruscant, Present Time...**

Palpatine felt a disturbance in the Force...a very Dark disturbance, and Dark disturbances were always troubling due to their inherent danger to everyone no matter if they be Sith or Jedi. Palpatine closed his eyes as he focused on the disturbance and found to his surprise that it was a being's Force signature on the planet but what surprised the hidden Sith was where this signature was originating from...the Jedi Temple.

"What in the Force are those fools doing now?" Palpatine muttered as he got up from his chair and looked out his office's window and towards the Jedi Temple.

Whoever the signature belonged to they were unfamiliar to Palpatine who focused even harder and tried to gain insight on who the signature belonged to. As he searched he almost lost focus on concealing his own signature but caught his slip quickly and then...it hit him. He saw war, bloody, dirty, unrestrained war. He watched as Republic troopers of old were cut down by a Sith wielding a black double-bladed lightsaber and the Force like the Masters of old, he saw countless Jedi fall to the man, and finally he saw the man bowing to a shadowy figure of even greater power...one who hadn't been seen in over three thousand years.

Shaking his head to help recover from the vision Palpatine, truly Darth Sidious, looked to the Jedi Temple and whispered to himself "The Force has sent a clear sign, the Sith have returned to reclaim what is rightfully theirs, they have returned to take the Galaxy that was promised them. You have finally returned Darth Nox and in the midst of a Galactic War.

"...Welcome home."

**/**

**Author's Note: Alright, let's get something out of the way first. Darth Nox's forces are stacked like this. When it comes to ground forces the Imperials have a clear advantage on their opponents and it'll require a significantly larger force to beat them in a battle. Up in space the battle is more or less against the Imperials when facing similar ships until it gets to the Harrowers (which are then favored in battle against similar ships) when there are no upgrades to thrusters, shields, and hyperdrives. Otherwise those upgrades will make the battle even for similar ships.**

**Now you may ask, how can a fighting force that's over three thousand years old be just as dangerous as a modern fighting force? Well...the answers are numbered below, feel free to read them and if you wish criticize them, just know those are my reasons for how this fleet is stacked. Next chapter will continue the story of Lord Vassinni and Ahsoka as well as provide some insight on everyone's favorite Chancellor. What do the True Sith have in store for the Galaxy? How will Darth Sidious change his plans to take into account this new variable? And who will kill Jar Jar Binks first? All these questions and more will be answered next chapter...except the last one, I'm still unsure how he goes in this story...maybe he'll fall off a big building or something stupid like that.**

**1) More resources were available to both sides of the war back then in comparison to the factions of 19 BBY due to many resource rich planets not being tapped dry yet. This allowed the Imperials to use better materials for war purposes without the same cost the Republic or Confederacy would have to put up with to do the same thing.**

**2) After the Sith were defeated the Republic forgot to focus on updating military tech and relied on the Jedi to handle the few small threats that occurred between the end of the Galactic War and the outbreak of the Seperatist Crisis rather than use an army. This means military tech changed very little over that time period as more effort would've been put into creating more commercial goods such as hyperdrives and better luxury starships.**

**3) The Harrower-class dreadnought was compared to Imperial Star Destroyers (which came later under a more militarized Empire) by Darth Sidious himself. Add to it the Silencer which was capable of destroying three Republic capital ships at a time and you have yourself a mean ship. Obviously there would still need to be upgrades to Darth Nox's fleet but when it came to armaments and hulls it would appear Darth Nox would have a slight advantage with his Harrowers and perhaps even-footing or slightly disadvantaged with his other ships.**

**4) The offensive technology of war is still the same, blasters are still a mainstay for small arms, turbolasers are still the main guns on ships, but armor has experienced a major decline over time. In favor of quanity over quality the Republic now uses Plastoid armor (plastoid is the same material used to make prosthetic limbs in SW lore...so basically you're running around in an armor made of strong plastic) and I don't need to talk about how easy a B1 droid goes down. In comparison the Imperial troopers use Duraplast armor (see point 1). Duraplast is the same metal used on ship hulls to protect from those previously mentioned turbolasers and while an Imperial trooper won't survive a blast from a turbolaser he'll certainly take more blaster rounds and lightsaber strikes before he goes down while at the same time he's using a blaster that turns plastoid into Swiss cheese and B1's into puddles of oil.**

**5) Imperial soldiers are trained from birth to be the Empire's best death dealers, they have no conscience, no sense of mercy, and no guilt. They are obedient, trained longer and harder than the average clone trooper since they're naturally born and not artificially forced to age faster so as to rapidly serve in battle. They aren't cannon fodder like clones sometimes are used as but rather capable and tested by fire soldiers who faced down the Republic when it employed a highly skilled fighting force. I don't even need to begin to speak on how droids don't compare to these troopers. In the end the Republic and Confederacy are relying on quantity to overwhelm their foes while the Empire of old had relied on quality because it had that luxury while the other two factions didn't.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Sorry to you guys for the long wait but here you go, the next installment in Return of the True Sith!**

**/**

**Present Time, Coruscant, Inside the Jedi Temple...**

**/**

Lord Vassinni was quiet as he looked around the Jedi Temple's library, Ahsoka Tano by his side, it was clear that she wasn't sure what Lord Vassinni's fascination with this place was.

"Lord Vassinni," Ahsoka began "You do know you aren't allowed access to any of the knowledge here, right?"

"I am well aware." Lord Vassinni replied before saying out of the blue "There is no ignorance, only knowledge."

Ahsoka looked over to Lord Vassinni in surprise and said "That's part of the Jedi Code...you're familiar with it?"

"One must be familiar with their enemies, otherwise you will have no reason to fight them tooth and nail because you will not understand who they truly are, and they truly are a hypocritical group." Lord Vassinni replied.

"It seems they have that line of the Code down pat, the librarian has claimed that if information isn't here then it doesn't exist, although quite a bit of information is only available to Masters so...I'm not sure if the Librarian was being entirely truthful." Ahsoka replied.

"Then you already see what I see." Lord Vassinni replied.

"How so?" Ahsoka asked, skeptical.

"Think about it, 'there is no ignorance, only knowledge', yet at the same time much of the Jedi Order is kept ignorant of the truth, and you don't even share any of this knowledge with the rest of the Galaxy...keeping them ignorant. I mean, how many people out in the Galaxy know that the Jedi have committed genocide before on Korriban and other former Sith worlds?" Lord Vassinni answered.

"Genocide?" Ahsoka asked, confused.

At that Lord Vassinni paused, acting shocked by Ahsoka's ignorance, and asked "You don't know? They never taught you about what you did once you won the Great Hyperspace War?"

"We beat back the Sith invasion and counter-attacked, despite attempts to force your surrender the Sith refused and fought to the death, often ritually sacrificing your civilians to gain more power in the Dark Side to use against us." Ahsoka replied.

"Then you have been lied to." Lord Vassinni said before continuing "Your Chancellor ordered the attack on our space and demanded our extermination, citing us as too dangerous to the Republic to continue living...the Jedi happily complied for they were too blinded by their hatred of the Dark Side to see that they were slaughtering women and children. Entire worlds were bombarded, civilians were cut down just as much as our defending warriors. Why do you think Lord Vitiate wanted revenge on the Jedi? It wasn't because we lost but because you Jedi tried to exterminate the Sith race as a whole. There was no mercy nor compassion shown by the Jedi to us...only cruel and calculated genocide."

"How do I know you're not lying?" Ahsoka asked, Lord Vassinni could sense her distress at such knowledge and he knew he had to press the issue.

"Have I lied to you yet? Or any of the Sith you've met?" Lord Vassinni asked in return.

Ahsoka took a long moment to think before replying simply "No."

"Have the Jedi lied to you?" Lord Vassinni pressed.

Ahsoka's eyes widened in surprise as she replied "Yes, they faked Obi-wan's death to the Order and the Galaxy so they could disguise him as a Bounty Hunter and have him infiltrate a plot to kidnap the Chancellor hatched by Count Dooku."

"Sith have no need to lie Miss Tano, we will tell half-truths or say nothing at all if it'll benefit us but we see no need in lying for we are true to ourselves about who and what we are. Now it's up for you to decide what the truth is for yourself rather than have it forced upon you by tampered 'knowledge' that was meant to keep you ignorant. I won't attempt to force you to think in any specific way like the Jedi have, I trust that you are smart enough to see the truth on your own." Lord Vassinni said.

"Could the Jedi have really done that?" Ahsoka asked, looking around the library in a new light, Lord Vassinni could sense the betrayal she felt.

"Yes, the Jedi could, they did, and they can do it again if they so desire because they have kept everyone ignorant while only a select few Masters have that knowledge which they so carefully 'protect' from even their own Jedi brothers and sisters." Lord Vassinni said, putting the final nail in the coffin for that line of the Jedi Code in Ahsoka's mind.

'One down, four to go.' Lord Vassinni thought to himself before he noticed a Jedi approaching the two of them.

It was the man known as Skywalker, Ahsoka suddenly grew stiff at the sight of him from Lord Vassinni's perspective.

"Ahsoka, there you are!" The Jedi called out and approached before saying "I haven't seen you since the incident at the Processional Way yesterday."

Lord Vassinni noted that Skywalker was ignoring him even though he was standing next to Ahsoka, he allowed the slight and merely listened as Ahsoka replied "I'm sorry Skyguy, I was just getting settled into my room last night, I didn't leave until this morning."

"And you've been following me the entire time since then." Lord Vassinni noted.

"If someone doesn't keep an eye on you then your likely to kill half the Jedi here." Ahsoka replied with a glare, Lord Vassinni merely shrugged at the accusation, it was most likely true in all respect as far as the Sith Lord was concerned.

Skywalker added his own glare at me as he asked "I saw you two were talking, anything interesting?"

"Just a history lesson, knowledge is power, you know?" Lord Vassinni replied.

"Yeah, sure." Skywalker replied, a hint of suspicion in the air, before he turned to Ahsoka and said "I was going to visit Senator Amidala now and I wanted to invite you to come along, I think it would be nice to catch up...I'm most interested in how you've adapted to life outside the Order."

Ahsoka frowned and said "Sorry Skyguy, I'm being paid to stay with Lord Vassinni by his Master, the job comes first."

"Actually, I don't mind if you go with your former master, Miss Tano. That Master Kenobi fellow seemed interesting, I think I'll go see if he's available. Besides I need to ask him about when we'll be sent to observe and hopefully participate in a Republic campaign." Lord Vassinni interjected before adding "If it makes you feel better I won't tell my Master of your excursion."

Ahoska looked at the Sith Lord before nodding and saying "Thanks...I think."

"Now that that's settled, you coming Snips?" Anakin asked of his former Padawan.

"I'm with you Skyguy." Ahsoka replied before leaving with her former Master.

**/**

**A Few Minutes Later, Corruscant, In Air Traffic...**

"I don't like that Sith." Anakin commented from the driver's seat of the speeder he and Ahsoka were in, the brown, single engine craft darting through Coruscant's traffic lanes.

"Isn't the job of any good Jedi to not like Sith?" Ahsoka asked playfully.

"Snips...I'm being serious here." Anakin replied annoyed.

"I know you are Skyguy." Ahsoka said as she looked out at the Coruscant skyline.

"I read the file we had on him...it was surprisingly small but what we have isn't pretty. He's been called the Butcher of Balmorra, Hutt's Bain, and Conqueror of Alderaan. Our file mentions him first when he was seventeen, he was preforming secret operations in Hutt Space, causing slave revolts, killing high ranking members of the cartels, and sabotaging or flat out destroying valuable infrastructure that belonged to the cartels, all in order to weaken them for an invasion by Imperial forces that would never come...but then he disappeared again after Darth Nox took him as a second apprentice, we don't know who Lord Vassinni's master was before Darth Nox but he or she was probably killed. He surfaced again two years later with the title of Lord he holds now, just days before the Galactic War started up, he led the ground forces on Balmorra upon the recommendation of Darth Nox and crushed the resistance with...overly excessive measures that pointed towards some sort of personal vendetta he might have had. Finally, when the Galactic War was raging the Sith conquered Alderaan under the leadership of Lord Vassinni, however we took it back shortly after he left for that expedition that ended up here." Anakin noted as he swerved past a slow moving speeder.

"What do you mean 'overly excessive measures' were used on Balmorra?" Ahsoka asked, a bit worried by what she'd hear.

"Entire towns were burned, their inhabitants slaughtered, rebels who surrendered were tortured for information before their families were brought before them and tortured to death...and then the rebels themselves were shot, Imperials were ordered to preform at least two random killings during their patrols, and Lord Vassinni often ordered that entire cities be starved of food and supplies. All of this was done to the point that most guerilla's just gave up on the cause altogether and joined the Imperials in order to spare their families. When it came to actual planned battles Lord Vassinni designed them to kill as many rebels as possible...needless to say by the time Balmorra fell to the Imperials completely thousands if not millions of Balmorrans were dead from starvation, dehydration, torture, and execution. Even a few Sith protested Lord Vassinni's actions as too brutal, but in the end he'd won the stubborn planet at last and so he was made a hero rather than a war criminal in the Empire." Anakin answered grimly.

Ahsoka looked down and shook her head slowly as she asked "What happened on Alderaan?"

"Surprisingly Lord Vassinni treated Republic soldiers and Alderaanian troops who were captured as POWs would under Republic law. Civilians were spared from collateral damage, torture was kept as a last resort, and Vassinni's battle plans were less focused on killing enemy soldiers and more focused on winning the battle with as few casualties as possible on his end. And when Lord Vassinni was in control of the planet as the military Governor he ruled as a benevolent dictator...he gave people as little reason to rebel against himself and the Empire as possible. Such contrast from his Balmorran campaign makes me think Balmorra was personal...not that that is any excuse for the atrocities he committed there." Anakin answered once more.

Ahsoka looked back at the skyline of Coruscant before looking to Anakin and said "I'll talk to Lord Vassinni about it, see if I can find out more about Balmorra...Darth Nox did say he wasn't meant to be driven by emotions. Perhaps that's what he meant by it."

"What Sith isn't driven by emotion? That's all they have, they're like wild animals, not too much intelligence but extremely sharp claws and teeth." Anakin commented.

"Then why has Darth Sidious been ten steps ahead of the Jedi this entire war? Or have we finally found and stopped him?" Ahsoka asked, clearly aggravated by the comment.

Anakin looked over to Ahsoka incredulously and asked "You're defending the Sith now?"

"No, I'm warning you not to underestimate them, Lord Vassinni is smarter than you give him credit for. He was clearly smarter than those rebel and Republic leaders he faced on Balmorra and Alderaan...otherwise they would've beaten him easily." Ahsoka shot back, keeping the part about how he was able to prove a line of the Jedi Code false in only a few minutes of logical discourse a secret.

Anakin just nodded at that before changing the subject "So, how's the Twilight doing? And more importantly, how have you been holding up on your own?"

"The Twilight's fine, thanks for letting me borrow it by the way. As for how I've been holding up..." Ahsoka trailed off and looked down before looking back at Anakin and saying "I've had a few close calls, almost was captured by Trandoshan slavers a while back, and now Jabba's either going to try and make me his newest pleasure slave or he's going to have me killed because I can't get him something he hired me to get him...even though he hasn't paid me for any of my services he doesn't take kindly to people who fail him. Otherwise I've been holding up pretty well, I've become a jack of all trades in some respect, from hauling cargo to bounty hunting I'm able to make a living."

Anakin had tensed at the mention of Jabba the Hutt and what he was planning to do to his former Padawan "I won't let that happen to you Snips, I'll kill that ball of slime before I let him touch you."

Ahsoka smiled slightly at that and replied "I know you would Skyguy, but don't worrry, part of my agreement with the Sith is that they're providing protection from Jabba...so in a way Lord Vassinni is kind of my bodyguard if you think about it...although I still have to be his guide to the Galaxy for the time being."

"I just hope you know what you're doing with them, Snips." Anakin said before adding as he piloted the speeder to a landing pad "We're here, Padme's going to be ecstatic seeing you again."

Ahsoka just smiled and said "I'm sure she will be...I take it we don't talk about the Sith around her?"

"I think we can trust her with that information. When's Padme ever betrayed our trust?" Anakin replied as he jumped out of the speeder, Ahsoka right behind him.

**/**

**Two Hours Later, Coruscant, Jedi Temple...**

Lord Vassinni walked through the Jedi Temple's Meditation Gardens until finally he came across the man he was looking for, Obi-wan Kenobi.

The human was sitting cross-legged by a small pool of water with fish in it as he meditated, however when Lord Vassinni stopped by a tree behind him he spoke first, asking "Is there something you need, Lord Vassinni?"

"No, just looking to talk with you, Master Kenobi. If this is a bad time I can come find you later." Lord Vassinni replied.

"You're politeness surprises me, Lord Vassinni, but you are no bother. Please, come sit with me, we may talk here." Obi-wan said from his meditative spot.

Lord Vassinni hesitated but decided to be respectful and honor the Jedi's wishes, he couldn't tell why he'd do so but he did, he took a seat in the grass next to Kenobi and crossed his legs before putting his hands on his knees.

"What do you wish to speak of, Lord Vassinni?" Obi-wan asked, Lord Vassinni noted that his eyes were still closed.

"I sensed three Jedi Masters who were different from the rest in that Council room. You were one of them." Lord Vassinni answered.

"How am I different?" Obi-wan asked cautiously.

"I sense that you are a warrior, I sense that many have fallen to you and your prowess, and I sense that you aren't orthodox in your methods...strange that you were allowed onto the Council. Did you do something that no one else in your Order could do? Did you allow yourself a moment of passion that fueled a victory so important that no one could deny your abilities as a Master of the Force?" Lord Vassinni asked curiously as he too began to meditate, but rather than meditate on peaceful matters like the Jedi, Vassinni focused on the pain, anger, and rage of past life experiences...such Dark meditation drawing a few heads to look at him as such a thing had never been done in the Temple before.

"I was brought to the Jedi Council because we were at war...and a more militaristic approach was needed for our Order to survive this cursed conflict." Obi-wan admitted before adding "But I did not give in to the temptations of the Dark Side to get there, I am a Jedi to the core...albeit not as orthodox as Master Yoda and a few others, I'll give you that one."

"Is that why that Skywalker fellow is so much more extreme?" Lord Vassinni asked.

"What gives you that idea?" Obi-wan asked sarcastically before saying "Anakin still has much to learn, but thankfully myself and the rest of the Council are there to help him down the right path."

"The right path in your eyes." Lord Vassinni commented before wincing slightly at a particularly painful memory.

Obi-wan noticed the pain and asked "Why do you do that to yourself? Subjugate yourself to pain, for what? Power that'll only lead to your destruction?"

Lord Vassinni gritted his teeth and replied with a bit of struggle "Nothing worth getting was ever achieved without pain and suffering on the conqueror's part. I do this not for power but so I may conquer my emotions and therefore become stronger through conflict."

"Through strength, I gain power." Obi-wan stated without a hint of malice nor appreciation.

"A line in the Qotsisajak...interesting that you'd know that. But yes, you are correct in that statement, I do gain power through my strength...and through power I gain victory against my emotions, and with that victory my chains to them are broken and I become their master rather than the other way around." Lord Vassinni replied.

"That sounds very Jedi-like of you...you wish to control your emotions rather than let them run free. I thought Sith embraced their passions and let them run wild?" Obi-wan asked.

"No, you misunderstand. A being who cannot control their emotions is merely an animal with the Dark Side, but one who can control them and bend them to their will, is one step closer to breaking their chains. It requires great conflict, conflict the Jedi refuse to go through, and so you ignore your emotions rather than tame them...how unfortunate an occurrence in my opinion." Lord Vassinni replied as he underwent another mentally painful memory.

"Interesting..." Obi-wan merely replied before silence settled between the two for a few moments before Obi-wan broke it by saying "I've read the file we have on you with Skywalker...it's rather disturbing to say the least. How are you able to cope with what you did on Balmorra?"

"Those animals deserved it...end of discussion." Lord Vassinni said before asking "Speaking of battles, when will myself and Miss Tano be sent to a warzone to see how the Republic fairs? From what my guide told me the Republic is advancing slowly but advancing nonetheless."

"Ahsoka's correct to say we're advancing, but it's regrettably slow and costly, with Darth Nox's fleet though we might be able to turn the tide quickly and end the war within a few short months. As for where you'll be going, I'm under the impression that you'll be coming with Anakin and myself to Mygeeto, the battle requires the assistance we can provide to help restart the offensive and break the stalemate that's developed there." Obi-wan answered.

"And what of the diplomatic proceedings?" Lord Vassinni asked.

"They'll probably take place once we get back to the Temple." Obi-wan said.

"How far do you think the Republic is willing to go to secure Darth Nox's alliance?" Lord Vassinni asked.

"Truthfully...too far in my opinion." Obi-wan replied before sensing the powerful Lightside presence coming closer to the two from behind and saying "Master Yoda, I didn't expect you, is there something you need?"

Lord Vassinni ended his meditation and stood up before turning around to look at the small, green, Jedi Master but chose not to speak yet and instead wait to see what he wanted.

"Need anything, I don't. You though, are needed. Mygeeto, you and Skywalker must report to immediately. Spotted, Dooku has been, on the planet." Yoda replied to Obi-wan.

At the mention of the Sith, Lord Vassinni growled slightly and said "I desire to join them on their mission, I wish to see how you fair against this False Sith and his forces...and I want to see just how powerful of a fake he is."

Yoda was quiet a moment and looked to Obi-wan who had taken the time to stand up next to Lord Vassinni to face the Jedi Master.

Obi-wan nodded at Yoda's silent question and so Yoda replied "Go, you and Miss Tano may. Participate, you will?"

"Yes, I'll participate, might as well show you Jedi just who you're dealing with here...and what better way of doing that then killing a pretend Sith?" Lord Vassinni asked rhetorically.

"Underestimate him, you do, be careful, you must." Yoda replied.

"I'm always careful Master Yoda, I'll call over Miss Tano immediately, she left with that Skywalker fellow an hour or two ago." Lord Vassinni replied before walking off into the Jedi Temple.

The two Jedi Masters watched him go before Obi-wan finally broke the silence and said "I feel that we are getting more than we bargained for with these Sith."

"Perhaps." Was Yoda's only response.

**/**

**Present Time, Coruscant, Senator Amidala's Apartment...**

Both Anakin and Padme erupted in laughter as Ahsoka told a story about one of her bounty hunting missions in the Outer Rim "...And then, the Mandalorian turns to me and he tells me 'I like your style kid, but you might want to invest in blasters next time, you'll be less likely to get oil all over yourself that way' and when I look down...I see that I'm covered in the stuff. It took me an entire hour in the refresher just to get all that stuff off my skin. Ever since then I started wearing these black flight suits, at least then only the suit gets dirty rather than myself."

"All of that over a spice dealer? How do you get yourself into these situations, Ahsoka?" Padme asked as she calmed down a bit from laughing.

"I wish I knew Padme, but my luck has never been good out there so I've got a few more stories like that one." Ahsoka replied before her comlink went off.

She activated it and up came a hologram of Lord Vassinni who immediately said "Miss Tano, you are needed back in the Temple with Skywalker. We're going to Mygeeto with Master Kenobi."

"As you wish, Lord Vassinni. We'll be there soon." Ahsoka replied before killing the connection.

"So, that's Lord Vassinni...he looks the part at least." Padme said before putting a hand on Anakin's next to her as Ahsoka looked on from across the table.

"Yeah, he looks the part of a mass murdering Sith, doesn't he?" Anakin asked rhetorically before adding "Alright Padme, looks like Obi-wan needs me, I'll talk to you soon?"

With that Ahsoka and Anakin got up, Padme got up and wrapped her arms around Anakin before giving him a kiss on the cheek before reluctantly letting go of him and saying "Yeah, we'll talk soon, right Ani?"

Anakin merely nodded in reply before motioning for Ahsoka to follow. The two force sensitives knew all too well just what type of Chaos they were going into and as such the two's moods became instantly sober.

**/**

**The Next Day, Space over Dromund Kaas, **_**Doombringer**_**'s Bridge...**

"Darth Nox, Lord Vassinni is on the line for his daily report, do you wish for me to bring him up?" An Imperial Ensign asked from his station below the walkway that Darth Nox was standing on as he observed his fleet in orbit outside the Bridge's observation window.

Darth Nox turned his masked face to look upon the Ensign before ordering "Bring it up on the command table."

With that Darth Nox turned and walked a few feet towards the command table, which was showing a holographic view of the fleet Darth Nox had just been observing until the image disappeared and was replaced with a kneeling Lord Vassinni, who spoke first "Master, I'm reporting as wished."

"How goes your stay with the Republic, Lord Vassinni?" Darth Nox asked in return.

"Master, I am currently onboard a Republic Star Destroyer that is on route to the planet of Mygeeto. The False Sith identified as Count Dooku was reported to be there, hopefully I'll be able to end him as a problem to us once and for all." Lord Vassinni replied.

Darth Nox was silent a few moments before replying "Do not kill him Lord Vassinni. Maim him, defend yourself, but do not do anything to make him useless to my plans in the future. I still have not chosen to support one side or the other yet."

Lord Vassinni's hologram was unmoving for close to a minute, Darth Nox knew he was choosing his next words carefully while rage ran through his body, before finally replying "Your bidding shall be done, Master. Is there anything else, Master, or is that all?"

"Yes, I will be transmitting to you my initial demands of the Republic, so when you meet with whoever is sent to negotiate them with you I expect that most if not all of these demands be met. The Confederacy has already made a generous counter-offer when Lord Xalek gave them my demands...so you better do well with the Republic's offer if you wish for me to support your side of this war, Lord Vassinni." Darth Nox replied before cutting the connection and turning back to the bridge's viewport to continue his plotting for the Galaxy.

This went on without interruption for nearly an hour until a welcome voice said from Darth Nox's side "So...when are you going to declare yourself Emperor my husband?"

Knowing he did not have to fear any of his words leaving the bridge of his flagship, Darth Nox replied to his Torgrutan lover without looking away from the viewport "There is a time for everything, my love. Now is not the time to make such a bold move, for now I must be content with merely having my command unchallenged by some of the other Sith among our forces, most of whom either hate my guts or desire my position. There will be a point for such a play, but for now we must be content with simply plotting the play out in the first place...I'm sure a few other Darths are already doing so on their own ships."

"And when you finally are challenged by them?" Ashara asked, turning her head to look at the masked Darth.

"I will destroy them and their followers in order to make a point to all others who might get the idea to challenge my authority. I'm the only surviving Dark Council member, and that makes me the commander of this force until I say otherwise." Darth Nox answered with authority in his tone.

"I'd expect nothing less from you." Was the simple reply.

**/**

**Present Time, Hyperspace, Lord Vassinni's room onboard the **_**Redeemer**_**...**

"THAT FRACKING FOOL!" Lord Vassinni yelled in rage before using a forced-imbued fist to punch the wall that separated the refresher from Lord Vassinni's bare room which held only a bed, a footlocker at the foot of the bed, and plain gray metal walls and two doors, one for the refresher and one that exited out into one of the _Redeemer_'s many hallways.

'Can he not see how heretical these false Sith are? Can my Master not see that they must be destroyed for their blasphemy!?' Lord Vassinni thought as he paused his thoughts and took a few minutes to look down at his hand which was now protesting the earlier punch.

"Was that such a smart idea? Hitting a wall I mean?" An unwelcome voice asked from behind Lord Vassinni, who turned around in surprise, his aching hand now being ignored as the Sith focused on the intruder.

"Miss Tano...what are you doing here...and how did you get in without me noticing?" Lord Vassinni asked, doing his best to hide the frustration in his voice at being snuck up on without his notice as his mask stared down the former Jedi leaning on the wall next to the door to the hallway.

"You were still yelling when I knocked on the door, I figured I'd find out what the problem was, when I came in you were too busy cursing Darth Nox to notice me...it was quite a show too." Ahsoka teased with a slight smile.

"Is there something you need Miss Tano? Or do you just enjoy risking your life by sneaking up on Sith Lords?" Lord Vassinni asked, he had no time for lighthearted humor.

"Eh, don't need anything except answers. Preferably without too much resistance on your part." Ahsoka replied.

"Answers? What are your questions?" Lord Vassinni asked, trying to hide his suspicion from his voice.

"What prompted you to command like you did on Balmorra all those years ago...and then why did you act so differently on Alderaan?" Ahsoka asked without emotion.

"Did Master Kenobi put you up to this?" Lord Vassinni snapped.

"No...also you're trying to avoid the question with another question." Ahsoka replied calmly.

"You don't need to know the answer to that question." Lord Vassinni said in a tone that warned of annoyance.

"Sure I do. I need to know who the people I work for are if they want me to work effectively." Ahsoka fired back, still in the same calm tone, it seemed to frustrate Lord Vassinni more.

"What do you already know about me?" Lord Vassinni asked, continuing to dodge the question with questions of his own.

"Enough. You're known by a few titles, Butcher of Balmorra, Hutt's Bain, and Conqueror of Alderaan...all of which were well deserved with one being a major understatement. I'm still interested in the understated one." Ahsoka answered plainly before asking a question of her own "Want to play a game?"

"No." Lord Vassinni replied quickly before beginning to pace as various thoughts passed through his head.

Ahsoka stayed still in her spot against the wall before saying "Oh come on, it's a simple game, I say something about myself and then you say something about yourself. It's good for building trust between people who have to work together. Here, I'll start. I'm skilled in both Forms Four and Five when it comes to lightsaber combat and I have a basic understanding of form Six as well. And you?"

Lord Vassinni stopped his pacing for a few moments to turn his head so his mask faced Ahsoka once more before continuing his pacing and replying in a tired tone "I know all seven Forms but rely on Ataru, Shien, Djem So, and Juyo in combat because I find my performance to be best with those styles."

"See...not so bad. I'm from Shili, never knew my parents, and I was brought to the Jedi Temple by Master Plo Koon." Ahsoka said, a smile in her voice.

Lord Vassinni was silent a few moments, his pacing increasing before he replied in anger "I'm from Dromund Kaas, born to a rich and powerful Sith family, and was trained since birth to be a powerful Sith...though I was never as great as my older sister in my parents' eyes."

Ahsoka bit her lip at that reply before saying "Sorry."

Lord Vassinni stopped his pacing and turned to face Ahsoka before asking curiously "Why?"

"I can't imagine what it's like to see your home like that...nor can I imagine what it's like not being loved as much as a sibling." Ahsoka replied sadly.

Lord Vassinni bit his lip beneath his mask before sighing and saying "I didn't have a home, nor did I feel anything for Dromund Kaas if that's what you're getting at, it was just some place I lived for a few years until my mother was assassinated and my father had to take me and my sister with him to his next assignment for the family. As for that love part...neither my sister or myself were loved, we were merely a way to pass on the family's legacy, but when it came to who they liked more it was always my sister. She was older, stronger in the Force, and...and a better Sith than I."

"Then why are you remembered by history but no one's heard of her? Did you..." Ahsoka left her question unfinished and hanging in the air as she looked at Lord Vassinni for an answer...knowing she was close to crossing a line that shouldn't be crossed when Sith were involved.

"Did I kill her? No. No I did not. The Jedi, the rebels, and my father handled that one...on Balmorra." Lord Vassinni said slowly before shaking his head and saying "Take a seat on the bed, this is a long story."

Ahsoka silently did as was asked of her and watched Lord Vassinni wearily as he took a seat to her left, he didn't face his mask towards her but instead seemed to be staring straight ahead at the door to the hallway, he was silent a few painfully tense minutes before almost startling Ahsoka when he began "When I was younger, I didn't want to be a Sith, I didn't want to fight or to become powerful. I actually wanted to join the Imperial Reclamation Service and learn about the past while unearthing long forgotten secrets. ...Well my parents didn't agree with that sentiment, so I was often beaten and forced to train alongside my sister while we waited to become of age for an actual master. My sister was much better at the life than I was, she wanted to have control of her own life and she saw the only way of doing that was by becoming as powerful of a Sith as possible, she was so determined that most of the people who knew her bet that she'd one day become a Dark Council member, she only had one weakness...me. She loved me because I was her brother, she looked out for me when no one else would, she cared for me and always took the time to comfort me when things got real bad.

"Then when I was ten standard years and she was sixteen standard years our mother was assassinated, we never found out who did it but if I had to guess, I'd say it probably had something to do with Rik Vakov since he was assassinated the same day and in the same bed as my mother. Anyway, with my mother gone there was no one except my father to watch over my sister and I since the rest of the Vassinni family couldn't bother, so we were forced to go with him to his next assignment...which put him in charge of a Vassinni Family owned weapons R&D facility that was pretty important to the Imperial war machine apparently. So my sister and I spent a few months in the facility until one day, a Jedi leading a group of rebels attempted to capture the facility and some key blueprints on new weapon designs that my family was being commissioned by the Empire to create and then test at the facility. Unfortunately for the Jedi and his band of savages they faced heavier than expected resistance and got trapped inside one of the facility's research buildings...unfortunately for my sister and I so were we. Eventually our luck ran out and we were found by the rebels, soon after being captured I let it slip that our father was in charge of the facility, and then things really got bad.

"The rebels warned my father that if he didn't surrender the facility then he'd be responsible for what happened to his children as consequence...needless to say my father didn't budge on the idea of surrender, nor did he want to waste the troopers to rescue his children, he instead chose to wait out the rebels until either he received reinforcements or they themselves surrendered. I can tell you now that they didn't surrender, instead the rebels started beating me senseless in front of a holo-recorder, when I went still they stopped and sent the footage over open channels to my father...he told them that they did his job for him and actually thanked them for killing me. Except I wasn't dead, just pretty fracking close, and so through my blurry vision I watched them do something so terrible...so evil, I wish I could erase the memory from my mind."

Tears formed in Lord Vassinni's eyes behind his mask and his pain was so strong that Ahsoka felt it like a tidal wave and even Skywalker and Obi-wan Kenobi could sense it from the bridge of the _Redeemer_.

Lord Vassinni went silent a few moments before finally continuing "The rebels took their time, when they grew bored of that form of torture they began flaying Laalia while she was still alive until finally...finally she blessedly stopped bleeding and became still. Throughout all of this, from me being almost beaten to death to...to Laalia's torture, the Jedi among them did nothing. He never participated but he never moved to help us, to stop his savages from brutally beating a ten year old boy half to death and...and doing what they did to a sixteen year old girl who hadn't even received a Master yet."

Anger coursed through Lord Vassinni at the memory of this particular Jedi, and after a moment's silence he continued the story "Not too long after my sister died did a strike force finally arrive. Darth Malgus had been scheduled to visit the facility to see if a weapon he had commissioned was completed, when he heard the Jedi and rebels had attacked the facility he brought with him Imperial Commandos to take care of the problem, they attacked and I watched as the rebels fell one by one to the Commandos. But the Jedi dog...he persisted to live, and as I watched him cut through two Commandos I felt this strange sensation run through me, gone was my weakness in this moment as hatred surged through my body and despite my wounds I got up. The Jedi was able to turn just in time to see the stream of lighting that would engulf him and char his flesh till it was blackened. I had unleashed so much power upon this Jedi Knight that his own ability in the Force yielded to my own...I watched in glee as his skin blistered and popped while he begged for mercy.

"Darth Malgus was also there to see, and he was impressed at what I had accomplished at such a young age. When the fighting was over he approached me, and he saw what no one else had ever seen in me, strength. Strength that I gained because of my hatred of your former Order, strength which would empower me throughout the rest of my years in the Resurgent Sith Empire, strength which was ironically given to me by the Jedi in a way. You see Ahsoka, your former Order made me into the Sith Lord I am today, and so they shall pay the price for that mistake. What happened in that facility led me to become Darth Nox's apprentice, it led me to slaughter the rebels and Jedi on Balmorra, and it made me the most feared Sith General that the Jedi and the Republic would ever face during the Galactic War." And with that Lord Vassinni finished his long monologue, Ahsoka was silent beside him, trying to process what she'd just heard and felt through the Force.

After a few moments she asked "Do you ever wish that attack never happened?"

"Every day that I breath." Was Lord Vassinni's reply before he added "But there's nothing I can do to change what happened that day or its consequences."

"Why let it control you then? Why not put it behind you and make your own future unhindered by the past?" Ahsoka asked.

Lord Vassinni was silent a few moments before answering "Because, without a past to guide you then you cannot have a future. My past has made me into the Sith Lord I am today, my past has given me strength, power, and most importantly a vision for a more beautiful future."

"And what is this vision?" Ahsoka asked, intrigued.

"Perhaps when I can trust your loyalty to this vision's cause then I will tell you...but for know you are not trustworthy. You only aid myself and my Master for protection and credits, but perhaps if you were to do so for ideology then I'd be more willing to reveal this vision to you." Lord Vassinni replied.

"I'm not becoming a Sith. I may not be a Jedi but I'll never be a Sith." Ahsoka stated firmly.

"True, of that I can tell, but that only goes for the stubborn old ways." Lord Vassinni replied.

"What do you mean?" Ahsoka interrogated.

"Nothing that you need plaguing your mind now...it'll come in due time." Lord Vassinni replied, shutting down the direction of the conversation.

"And here I was thinking I was getting to know you more." Ahsoka half-joked.

"You did. Only Darth Nox survived long enough to know that story today...and now you join him among the few I trust with such a tale. Don't prove me wrong in trusting this information to you." Lord Vassinni replied soberly.

"It's my secret now." Ahsoka replied, the knowledge that she was among the few trusted with that information leaving a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Glad to hear it. Now if you'll excuse me I need to take some time to meditate and rest before we arrive at Mygeeto, I'm sure you could use some time to rest as well." Lord Vassinni stated, it was his nicest way of telling someone to 'get out'.

"Alright, I'll speak to you again when we arrive in-system." Ahsoka replied before hopping of Lord Vassinni's bed, she walked to the door and opened it, walking out and letting the door shut once more...leaving a Sith Lord to stew in the most painful memories of his life.

**/**

**Present Time, Coruscant, Chancellor's Office...**

"Master, I have sent back the counter-offer you requested to Darth Nox's apprentice, it should hopefully be generous enough to convince the Darth to join on the Confederacy's side of this war." Count Dooku's hologram stated.

"Excellent, but your mission does not end there my apprentice. As we speak both Anakin Skywalker and Obi-wan Kenobi are on their way to Mygeeto to capture you." Darth Sidious replied.

"I will handle them, my Master." Count Dooku stated in confidence.

"It is not they who you should be worried about, with them is one of Darth Nox's apprentices, he is followed by the former Jedi Ahsoka Tano. You are to separate Tano and Darth Nox's apprentice from the group and attempt to sway them to work with us, if you fail to do so, then kill them both...they only have those two options available to them." Darth Sidious ordered.

"It will be done my Master." Count Dooku stated with a bow before Darth Sidious terminated the connection.

"Good, good...soon even Darth Nox will become a pawn in my game, willingly or not." Darth Sidious chuckled to himself as he looked out his office's window at the Coruscant sunset.

**/**

**Author's Note: Alright, that does it for this chapter, apologies for the lack of action in the chapter but I promise you that it'll show up in chapter three, and apologies once more for the late update.**


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